As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Sunday, 15 May 2016

New bird observatory set up in Alderney

13 May 2016 at 6:04am

A new bird observatory has been set up in Alderney to attract tourists and help monitor bird populations.

Tourism bosses in the island hope the new centre will entice bird watchers and boost visitor numbers.

The observatory is likely to be of great interest to many watchers as it is the most southerly in the British Isles.

It means it will be the first to identify migrant birds from Africa and Europe.

Warden John Horton says many visitors will be attracted by the location.

We're really the linchpin to which all of those 2.5 million bird watchers will be looking to Alderney to say 'when are our swallows coming, when are our warblers coming back', and we'll be able to tell them before anybody else. – JOHN HORTON, WARDEN AT ALDERNEY BIRD OBSERVATORY

An important role of the observatory will be to monitor bird populations, with birds flying into the island tagged so they can be recorded.